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Friends and family of the late Michael Lunn, who was one of the employees killed at the Nanaimo mill shooting on April 30th are establishing the Red Shirt Foundation aimed at putting a stop to workplace violence. This non-profit society was formed when family friends were discussing the tragedy and decided to put the plan into action immediately.

Lynn Jacques, longtime Lunn family friend and chairwoman of the newly formed foundation said, “I think we will culminate in a national red shirt day on April 30, where people from around the world will stop and take notice and just say ‘Yes, we need to stop this.'” We say, absolutely! Despite the tragedy, it is a breath of fresh air to see people taking action and only hope that this foundation gets more than just National attention.

By now, you may have heard or even watched the video that TMZ released from the Standard Hotel in New York City that appears to show Beyonce’s sister, Solange, attacking Jay Z.

Though the hotel says it will “discipline and prosecute the individuals involved” they admit that the confidentiality it provides to their customers has been violated. In other words, the damage is already done.

What kind of checks and balances does your security program have to detect or prevent such breaches? It may seem elementary, but perhaps going back to the basics may be the starting point.

Some things to consider:

– Restricting access to only supervisors or those who need to have the ability to review/export propriety or confidential information.

– Issue proprietary usernames and passwords to each end user.

– Take employee well being into account. A pay day from TMZ may seem enticing to the employee who is feeling especially unappreciated. Remember Richard Branson’s theory of training your people well enough so they can leave, but treating them good enough so they don’t want to.

Violence in the workplace is at the forefront of everyone’s thoughts – or is it? The Insurance Information Network reports that there are 650 homicides, 2 million assaults, and 6 million serious threats reported each year in the workplace, with two-thirds of the incidents preceded by behavioral red flags but, “A typical corporate office is simply not ready for a determined assault and most companies do not want the cost and climate that comes with that kind of protection” said Darrell Mercer of Mercer Protection Agency in an article published by TheLedger.com

While insurers offer employers workplace safety policies to cover incidents in the workplace, often the value of life is not fully put into perspective. As such, instead of just considering the ROI, business owners should also take a hard look at the ROL: Return on Life.

Recognizing that there are limits to what security can do to prevent workplace violence, Douglas Duerr, an Atlanta lawyer specializing in labor and employment at Elarbee Thompson said, “The thing to do is to have training on what are the potential indicators of someone who might become violent.”

At OmniPresent Security Group we stress that hope is not a strategy. Promoting Security Awareness among the workplace is vital – but it must start at the top.

According to authorities in Waseca, Minnesota, a teen was planning a series of attacks that included killing his family, a school resource officer, and students at the Waseca Junior and Senior High Schools.

“This is a classic example of citizens doing the right thing and calling the police when things seem out of place. By doing the right thing, [an] unimaginable tragedy has been prevented,” said the Waseca Police Department.

It is clear that incidents of this nature are on the rise. Remember to stay alert, aware, alive. If you see something, say something.

In the wake of increasing incidents in the workplace or places of public gatherings, more young professionals are turning to self defense classes.

ABC interviewed Tzviel “BK” Blankchtein, owner of Masada Tactical who said they are definitely seeing an increase in clients seeking self defense training. “It’s unfortunate that we see on the news all the time that our world is not getting any safer,” Blankchtein said. “If anything, things are getting worse. As things are getting worse we need to give people the tools to defend themselves”

In a Canada case, the judge ruled that a “kick on the butt” excused a punch on the mouth that resulted in $7,000 of dental work.

Regardless of the outcome, signs of potential problems are often overlooked or even ignored because managers either do not know how to deal with a conflict between co-workers or worst assume and hope that employees “know better.”

Hope is not a strategy. It’s always a good time to review your workplace violence policy and ensure managers are up to date on their training.

15 years later, Columbine survivors are finding purpose. According to an article published by USA Today, the school continues to shape the minds of kids even though none were there on that terrifying day. Columbine Principal, Frank DeAngelis discusses how he struggled with survivor’s guilt and how he has been able to help build his community back. “Unfortunately, there will be more school shootings, and I will be there to help,” said DeAngelis, “Maybe, just maybe, hearing my words might just prevent another one.”